HUNTINGTON, W. Va.--The Marshall men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball programs will enjoy several upgrades to the Henderson Center for the upcoming 2009-10 season. The Henderson Center court was completely sanded, repainted, and refinished. The dark wood stain was removed from inside of the three-point area while the orange basketballs were removed from the top of the lane area. The Marshall Block M with “The Herd” in script font painted on the center of the court.

Other court changes included the addition of “HerdZone.com” added to the team bench areas, lane areas and the court border pained green, the addition of the C-USA logo to the center of the lane, “Thundering Herd” painted on the east baseline while “We Are…Marshall” painted on the west baseline.”

“We are very pleased with the results of the Henderson Center Court sanding and refinishing project,” said MU Associate Athletic Director/Game Facilities Scott Morehouse. “Steve Cheeseman, with Cheeseman Flooring in Columbus, Ohio, did a great job with the project and we could not be happier with the outcome.”

“I love the changes to the floor,” said Marshall head volleyball coach Mitch Jacobs. “It has a beautiful, clean, white look to it. The way it is set up really brings out the Herd logo in the center. You have to give credit to Scott Morehouse for doing an outstanding job.”

The basketball programs have moved into their new locker rooms which are located underneath the stands in the Henderson Center. The lockers feature ports for internet access, locks for secure access, and mirrors. A theater room has a video board for instruction and preparation for upcoming games. Complementing the theater room is a meeting area which can be arranged to the program’s liking.

When players enter the locker room area, they are welcomed by a lounge which has large flat-screen televisions and a kitchen area for food and drinks. The restroom is lined with white and green tiles while the showers have shower heads set at eight feet.

"The locker room project just goes to show the commitment our University has to our basketball program," Marshall men’s basketball coach Donnie Jones said. "When kids come on campus, their first impression of commitment is usually the facilities. This will showcase to our players and incoming recruits not only our commitment to success, but that of Marshall University."

"This is another side to our joining Conference USA," said MU women’s head coach Royce Chadwick. "We travel to places like UCF and see their outstanding facilities. Now, when UCF comes here, they will leave here saying Marshall's facilities are second to none. They will be in our old locker rooms and they will say, 'they've got really nice facilities at Marshall. Perception is reality."